'Of the Fields, Lately' at the KNOW
February 10th-26th, Binghamton’s Know Theatre brings together four of the region’s best-known, best-loved actors, directed by one of its most celebrated directors - Bernie Sheredy, for a timeless and powerful play: Canadian playwright David French’s intense small-cast 1973 drama Of the Fields, Lately.
Of the Fields, Lately won French his only Chalmers Award (the most prestigious for a Toronto play) in 1974 and received enthusiastic reviews for its Broadway debut in 1980, starring Oscar-winner-to-be Chris Cooper. Of the Fields, Lately is little heard of today, and according to Tim Gleason (Artistic Director of the theatre and playing Wiff in this production), bringing attention to great, forgotten works of theatrical art like this one is part of his mission. “Know Theatre exists to do the plays that you’re not going to see anywhere else in the region. We take it very seriously, and we usually do the cutting-edge higher dramas that are going to make you think, as opposed to just laugh and be happy,” he told Carousel. “We’re going to make you leave thinking about what you just saw.”
Gleason first encountered the play after it was recommended to him in 1999, and immediately mounted a production in New York City. He feels that letting it marinate in his thoughts for eighteen years can only have deepened his appreciation of its close, insightful analysis of individual characters and universal themes.
“It’s a beautiful play,” he explains, “It’s one of those timeless plays. It deals with father and son relationship problems, which I think everyone can relate to. It’s also the story of a family and how they deal with tragedy.”
Gleason elaborates, “My character’s wife has passed away, which is what brings the son home from having moved away. It puts us in a situation - how we deal with the tragedy of loss, how the son and father try and rekindle their relationship, and the fine line trying to keep both his mother and his father at some kind of peace while he’s there.”
But it was not only the beauty of that play’s writing that inspired Gleason to choose Of the Fields, Lately. Simply put, he says, “When I pick something up, my mind immediately starts flying through who I could possibly get to act in it. This is the first time that Mike Arcesi and myself will be onstage together. I was looking for a vehicle for us two, and this play came into my mind.”
Arcesi is a veteran of many previous Know Theatre productions, as well as plays at the Cider Mill Playhouse and other local venues. For followers of local theatre, it may come as a surprise that he and Gleason had never performed together, but according to Gleason, the omission has not been by design: “Mike has been working with us forever, and he finally said, ‘Dude, when are we getting up there?’ And I said, ‘Oh, my God! We haven’t been, have we?’ I make it a point to take advantage of being the guy in charge. I’ve been up there with anyone who’s worth their weight in gold around here, but somehow I’ve missed Mike until now! So I was saving the best for last, I guess. He is just so amazing and multi-talented and multifaceted. So you have to get up pretty early to stay with him - which is what an actor wants. You want to be challenged, and he certainly makes me have to be the best I can be.”
Although the cast is small, the rest of the names involved are also impressive. The faces of the other two actors, Amy L. Smith and Zach Chastain, will be welcome and familiar sights to theatregoers in the Binghamton area. “One of the people at the theater teases me that that’s my secret superpower - that I seem to be blessed with picking plays that the great actors around here want to come and play with. We’ve all worked with each other before, so even in this play - which has its heavier moments - we’re having a few outbursts of laughter because of the knowledge and familiarity that the four of us have together. I think that makes any play better, when you have a comfortable atmosphere and a good group of people.”
But it is not only the cast that is impressive. Premier local director Bernie Sheredy is known as a true actors’ director - not surprising given his many acting credits from around the country; he was an appropriate pick for such an intense, small-cast piece. The choice wasn’t accidental. “Whenever there’s a kind of a play that has some challenges to it, I usually try and call upon Bernie to take the reins. On the surface this play is very simple, but there are many layers to these characters, and Bernie is very adept at holding us as actors to a high standard. He keeps us on our A-game.”
Performances take place February 10th-12th, 16th-19th, and 24th-26th at 74 Carroll Street in Binghamton. Showtimes are 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 3pm on Sundays. Second Thursdays are pay-what-you-can nights; other nights are $20 for general admission, $18 for seniors, and $15 for students. Tickets can be purchased through knowtheatre.org or by calling (607) 724-4341.
